Tree Houses & Race Car Beds
by xKatieBearx
Summary: Kate teaches Jack and Aaron how to make her favourite Christmas decoration, while they reminisce about their childhood Christmases.


**Title:** Tree Houses & Race Car Beds by KatieeBear  
**Rating:** K?  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own Lost, or the songs. I'm just borrowing.  
**Authors Note:** Little Tiny tiny tiny bit of Christmas Fluff. Actually, it probably Breaches fluff at some point... anyway. I hope I wrote Kate okay, becuz she really Annoys me, atm, her character keeps changing :P little lyrics from Within Temptaion's song Memories. Go listen.

* * *

"You don't have to buy new ones, y'know." She laughed, watching as Jack struggled down the last step, with the giant marked up 'Christmas Decorations' box. He turned to face her, stepping over precariously placed toys on the floor.

"No, that's why we've got these old ones."

"Old? Jack, they still smell like the store."

"We bought new ones every year." He explained, placing them back down on the kitchen table. Aaron looked up with interest, dropping his train set. Kate shook her head in distaste, picking at a loose thread in her jeans.

"Me an my Mom, had the same ones every year. We made them ourselves, so they were really special." She smiled, as Jack looked up. When it became clear that she wasn't about to retreat into her past anymore, he nodded gently.

"I used to want to, but then whenever I made anything, it always made the tree look messy."

"That's 'cause your parents where prudes." Kate breathed. "Aaron's gonna make some for our tree, although I dread to think what he's going to get up to with the glitter."

"They weren't prudes, they just wanted Christmas to be special. We had matching decorations on the tree." He said, cocking his head to one side. "Well_ I_ liked it. And Christmas was never really a big deal for me anyway."

"Jack that sad." She laughed. "Christmas is special. It was even special for _me_. Just 'cause you were a little rich boy, you didn't have to _wait_ for Santa to get you that tree house you asked for _every_ year."

He grinned lopsidedly, "Tree house? I asked for a racing car. Did you ever get yours?"

"Nope. I tried once, when I was eight, to do it myself. But I fell out the tree, broke my arm. I was trying to bring the wood up." She explained, straight faced. He nodded, picturing it perfectly. "Racing car?"

"Actually yeah... they got me a race car bed, when I was about six. But the tree house idea's sounds good too." He said, chuckling.

"I did think about making _him_ one." She smiled, gesturing over to where the little blonde boy was pulling the glittery tinsel across the floor. "But maybe he's a bit too small."

" Well, I'm sure decorating the Christmas tree will be even more fun for him. All that glitter to get all over that new couch... all that glue."

"Yeah, you're right." She smiled. "But I'll tell you what we can do now. Me and my Mom used to do it late in November, early December, its this thing where you push cloves into oranges, and then when they dry out, your left with... well, a ball of cloves. But seriously, they _smell_ like Christmas."

"I think my mom bought one of those." He said, amused. "There's one in there I think-"

"Live a little, make it with us." She laughed. "It was a family tradition. Didn't you have one?"

"Ours was having a party. It meant my Dad'd get completely wasted, and nobody could say anything." Kate sighed sympathetically. "Not like that, I mean, nobody argued. There was no fights or anything. But they used to invite hundreds of people round, and for some weird reason, they all knew me. And they'd say how much I'd grown, and what a 'big boy' I was now. Its such an ego crusher when you're thirteen years old, to get called cute."

"I know what you mean." She nodded, smiling. "I was always cute. I was never grown up. Or... or even, really a teenager. But um... Wayne, didn't really like Christmas. He didn't want us to have a tree or anything. My Mom talked him round into it eventually. She used to put fairy lights, all round my room, too. Like a mini Santa's Grotto." She smiled lost in the rare happy memory, and Jack smiled too, respectful that she'd decided to share it with him.

"So." He said, pushing his sleeves back. "Wanna carry on your family tradition?"

"I think that's a good idea." She smiled, "I'm not a party person though, so yours might get neglected a little."

"Don't mind _at all_." He said, grinning truthfully.

* * *

Kate pressed the last clove into the orange, her hand aching. Aaron had lost interest long ago, and Jack was only feigning interest for her sake, as she looked so happy.

"There... that one's done."

"It looks good." He nodded. "Took a while though..."

"Yeah." She giggled, pushing her curls out of her face. "Maybe he needs to be older for that too. Specially as there's screwdrivers involved. I used to stab myself in the hand a hell of a lot when I was a kid."

"Yet it didn't put you off, amazing." He teased, pulling her hands round to hold them. "Why don't you go sit in the other room, we'll watch a film or something, I'll tidy up later."

She nodded, biting her lip, and pulled away gently, heading out of the room. Jack turned round , ready to push the few stray cloves into his hand, when she turned round in the hallway.

"This is what I always wanted, y'know." She said quietly, seemingly embarrassed. "When I was a kid. Even after everything happened. I mean... not to be scared. Its just, its so happy here. And _not_ just because you tidy up after me."

"I bet that's a big part of it though, huh?" He teased softly, noticing offhandedly how beautiful her fingers were, as they moved up to play with her hair.

"Its helps." She smiled, fingers still twirling. "Now, we're here... and its all over, its all okay. I want this year to be really special. The three of us, here. Because, Aaron is _the_ most important thing in my life. And I want him to be yours too."

"He is." He nodded, watching her intently. "Trust me, your both are."

She smiled self consciously, and turned to go again, but stopped for the second time.

"Did you really like doing those oranges?" She asked, grinning, daring him to tell her otherwise.

"Yeah... not at all boring." He grinned, eyes sparkling.

"Promise?"

"No."

"Okay." She smiled, spinning round in the doorway, and out of the room.

_together in all these memories,  
i see your smile.  
all of the memories I hold dear_


End file.
